The Agenzia di Pollenzo offers a range of activities during the four days of Cheese.
At the Albergo dell’Agenzia, the hotel’s beautiful terrace overlooking the park of King Carlo Alberto’s estate will host a series of tastings.
Artisanal Sandwiches, made with organic bread from Bio Forno in Dogliani baked from stone-ground flours from Mulino Sobrino in La Morra, will be filled with the Slow Food Presidium Robiola of Roccaverano, made only from raw goat’s milk. Over the years the local breed of goats has suffered a drastic decline as it was replaced by more productive breeds: In 1990, there were just 200 animals remaining. However, the revival of classic Roccaverano has been an important initiative to protect the breed.
Alternatively, why not try a sandwich filled with Rebruchon from the Val Susa. Made from whole raw cow’s milk from a “delayed milking” that makes the milk even creamier, the cheese is aged by Arbiora in Bubbio, near Asti.
Pair your sandwich with a glass of wine, choosing from a Barbera from Nizza Monferrato or a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, selected by the Wine Bank.
Artisanal Gelato from Grom. Made from full-fat Piedmontese cow’s milk of the highest quality blended with carefully selected ingredients, including many Slow Food Presidia.
Special Event
Pizza Mon Amour. On Monday September 21 from 6 pm to 10 pm, two great pizza artists, Enzo Coccia and Gabriele Bonci, will present their creations, paired with a selection of artisanal beers from the Open brewery in Santa Vittoria d’Alba.
Opened in 2004, the Wine Bank preserves the historic memory of Italian wine with over 100,000 bottles from 300 of the best wineries in the country. On Friday September 18 and Saturday September 19 the Wine Bank will host two vertical tastings, the first featuring Vigna del Volta, a sweet passito wine made from Malvasia grapes by La Stoppa, the second focusing on sparkling Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore. Each tasting will be accompanied by a selection of matched cheeses.
The University of Gastronomic Sciences, the world’s first university dedicated to food culture and biodiversity, will be open to visitors throughout Cheese, during the following times: Friday September 18 and Monday September 21 from 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm; Saturday September 19 and Sunday September 20 from 11 am to 4 pm. For more information: www.unisg.it
A Brief History of the Agenzia di Pollenzo
Built in 1833 to house the Savoy royal family’s offices, the building is constructed around a large courtyard, a style deriving from the “curtis” of the Middle Ages. At the end of the 20th century the building was in serious disrepair, with the plaster of the facade, the external and internal fixtures and the floors in particularly poor shape. The idea to restore the Agenzia di Pollenzo complex to public use developed at the end of the 1990s, alongside Slow Food’s elaboration of ideas about the relationship between food and knowledge. The international association, headquartered in Bra, created a company, the Agenzia di Pollenzo S.p.A., which currently has around 300 public and private partners. Today the complex includes the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the Wine Bank, the Albergo dell’ Agenzia and the Restaurant Guido.